| BUKOWSKI AT BELLEVUE |
"Raw Poetry"
Charles Tatum says... "Poet Charles Bukowski was a force of nature. If you are not familiar with his verse, you might be familiar with three films based on his prose- "Barfly," "Factotum," and "Tales of Ordinary Madness." This black and white video captures Buk at a poetry reading in 1970, and its technical problems enhance the man's words." (more)
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| AMERICAN, THE |
"I Present To You Our Ambassador, Mr. Clooney."
Erik Childress says... "You will often hear of films of the thriller variety referred to having a ‘70s sensibility. Many of the thrillers of that era were often influenced in the events surrounding Watergate and the sins inherit in Vietnam; many of which resulted in the aftermath of the JFK assassination. Jim Garrison was helping fuel the national paranoia over a shady element in our government and it resulted in favorites of the time like Three Days of the Condor, The Parallax View and, of course, All the President’s Men. Paranoia being the key word in everything above; the fear of the threat more than the direct involvement in shootouts and chases. Anton Corbjn’s ultra-spare thriller, The American, shares a direct link with that time even though it is set, as far as we can tell, today. Without making any sudden movements to call attention to its own intentions, the film becomes an interesting statement about our more recent government’s involvement in global affairs and an intimately tense tale of a man capable of more than just the violence he causes." (more)
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| CENTURION |
"A 2nd-century 'Expendables' with better action and more expending."
Jay Seaver says... "I suspect that Neil Marshall will never break through to doing big Hollywood movies, assuming that holds any interest for him, despite just how good he is at every aspect of the job. The man is just too fond of his blood and guts to go to the world where producers are always looking for a PG-13, and he's not content to stick to horror movies, where that's a niche one can settle into. That's why his new movie, "Centurion", is premiering in boutique theaters in the United States alongside a video on demand run despite being a big, brawny action/adventure." (more)
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| DIABOLIQUE (1955) |
"No wonder Alfred loved it."
MP Bartley says... "Perhaps it's urban myth, but the story goes that Hitchcock was just hours behind Henri Georges Clouzot in buying the rights to the novel that would become the film Diabolique (Les Diaboliques across Europe). Hitchcock was then apparently so impressed with the final results that he was freshly inspired to make something as clever, chilling and startling - the resulting film being Psycho." (more)
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| LAST EXORCISM, THE |
"Flim-flam."
Rob Gonsalves says... "Exorcism movies shouldn’t be rated PG-13, because demons shouldn’t be rated PG-13. They’re supposed to be vile, ghastly, unholy creatures that revel in obscene sacrilege so grotesquely they can test the faith of the most devout. If you can’t show that, you’re wasting our time." (more)
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| TEARS FOR SALE |
"With that title, it's almost got to be a dark comedy. It's a good one."
Jay Seaver says... "ORIGINAL DIRECTOR'S CUT SCREENED AT THE 2010 FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: The hackneyed phrase that is often used to describe this movie is "a Serbian 'Amélie'", which I think does it a disservice because, well, I didn't like "Amélie" much at all. Gilliam might be a better comparison; after all, Jeunet's films are basically optimistic, and while Uros Stojanovic's fantasy is far from being a complete downer, there's an unavoidable element of tragedy to it." (more)
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| LAST EXORCISM, THE |
"Reality without the reality"
brianorndorf says... "The goal for a “found footage” horror film is to achieve realism. There has to be a sense of authenticity to the chicanery, otherwise it’s nothing but community theater leftovers covered by lousy camerawork. Picking up where “Paranormal Activity” left off, “The Last Exorcism” travels even further into absurdity, unable to construct a genuine mood to make the nightmare standout. Instead, it’s a film that spends 80 minutes calling attention to its own artificiality, when the intent is clearly to draw viewers in using the suggestion of reality." (more)
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| TAKERS |
"Hip-hop Hooligans"
brianorndorf says... "As junk food cinema goes, “Takers” has a few highlights worth viewing, and a nice breezy pace for the first half of the picture. It’s a heist flick of shoddy craftsmanship, abysmal performances, and meaningless conviction, but the movie knows how to cook on occasion. If it didn’t take itself so seriously, perhaps there might’ve been something celebrate here. Instead, it’s a misfire with a few cracking action sequences, best viewed at home with a mute button safely within reach." (more)
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| MESRINE: INSTINCT OF DEATH |
"Une attaque francaise"
brianorndorf says... "As tales of sadistic criminal behavior go, the French picture “Mesrine: Killer Instinct” is one of more vividly paced offerings I’ve seen in recent memory. Crisply assembled by director Jean-Francois Richet, the feature is a sprawling tale of violence, audacity, and desperation, funneled through an electrifying performance from star Vincent Cassel, who plugs directly into the sickness of the titular character, communicating his rage and quest for infamy with some of the most impressive acting of Cassel’s career." (more)
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| TOMMY |
"I feel the music"
brianorndorf says... "In 1969, The Who unleashed “Tommy,” their electrified stab at a rock opera after years of tinkering with the elusive format. A musical achievement of staggering ambition and crunchy stacked-amp rock theatrics, “Tommy” became a sensation, justifiably branded the defining album of the band’s extensive career, soon embarking on a marathon tour of interpretation, eventually making iconic leaps to Broadway in 1992 and a feature film in 1975, handed over to cinema’s most persistent imp, director Ken Russell. The official tagline for the picture stated simply, “Your senses will never be the same.” It was a promise well kept." (more)
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